Babysitting Blues
by tardisblues
Summary: It was supposed to be easy. She couldn't have been more wrong.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **After constant badgering from my dear friend, Mel, I decided to post this. Initially it was going to be one great, long one-shot but I decided to split it up because - well, I just did. So I hope you enjoy the first part!

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><p><strong>Babysitting Blues<strong>

Compared to learning and mastering all four of the elements, anything was easy, especially something trivial like _babysitting_.

As far as Korra was concerned, there was nothing difficult about it. Being paid to play with kids for a couple of hours before they fell asleep? That was far easier than pushing yourself until your head was dizzy with exhaustion and the muscles of your body all but gave out. No, babysitting would be a slice of pie compared to the rigorous training sessions she'd had to endure over the years.

Or so she thought.

In all fairness, Korra had never looked after children on her own. She was always too busy with her training; she didn't even get to associate with other children her age all that often and when she did, they were either too intimidated by her to play or too jealous to even bother. And when she finally was old enough to look after the younger children of the tribe, her training had been kicked into high gear, especially since there was talk of politic unrest in Republic City. The only time she'd ever had one-on-one time with a baby was when her mother's friend brought her newborn over and even then, Korra had only wiggled her finger in front of the baby's face and smiled when it giggled and tried to grasp it.

Beyond that, the only thing she knew about kids were that they liked to talk and tended to shut up when you shoved a treat in their general direction.

So when Korra had overheard Pema grumbling to Tenzin that she was sick of having to stay home because they couldn't find a sitter to look after their children, Korra offered up her services with a smile. She was, of course, completely ignorant of the _real _reason why the family couldn't keep a sitter to save their lives, but she was eager to return the favor. After all, they were providing her with free room and board while she continued her airbending training. So, really, it was the least she could do.

As a sound of something expensive shattering echoed in the background, Korra groaned, lowering her head into her hands. If only she'd known then what she knew now.

If only, if only.

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><p>"Well, maybe if you weren't so <em>pushy<em> –" Ikki aimed a kick at her sister, but was thwarted yet again by the Avatar, who pulled her backwards with a quick jerk of her collar. Of all the things to use against her, Korra just _had_ to go for her clothing. Twisting in the older girl's grip, she glared up at her. "Hey! I almost had that one!"

"I don't care!" Korra said, the coloring rising to her face as Ikki tried to kick out again. She tightened her grip on the girl's collar, sending her (what she hoped was) a threatening look. "You're not even supposed to be fighting anyway!"

"But she ruined my book, Korra!" Jinora cried, thrusting out her hand in which a ball of air had been swirling. The gust blew back Korra's bangs, but she raised a flat of earth with a lazy flick of her wrist, dispelling the ball. Jinora made a noise of protest while Ikki giggled. "Did you even see what she colored in the margins?"

Korra blinked, alarmed by the distress in Jinora's voice. She prayed to the Spirits that it wasn't something wildly inappropriate, but knowing Ikki, it was probably a bunch of otter penguins. The girl had a weird obsession with them. "Well, no, but –"

"Just because you don't understand my point of view as an a_rtiste, _'Nora, doesn't mean it's not important. Besides," she added with a haughty sniff, "it's just a stupid book!"

Unleashing an unholy scream of frustration that echoed in the rafters and woke all of the wildlife on Air Temple Island, Jinora surged forwards, a tangle of awkward arms and rage and –

"Meelo!" Korra shouted, completely abandoning her hold on Ikki when, in the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the youngest of Tenzin's children reaching for what looked to be a very old, very important airbending relic. "Put that down!"

As she ran towards the boy, a smug smile curled his lips and he wiggled his thick eyebrows. Korra's stomach dropped out as he snatched up the vase and, smiling wickedly, dashed away at top speeds. She was beginning to regret showing him how to manipulate the air to propel himself faster, even if she had done it as a bribe for his silence.

The less Tenzin knew about her Pro-Bending activities, the better.

"No, Meelo, don't -!"

"_GIVE IT BACK, IKKI, OR ELSE!"_

"_OR ELSE WHAT? YOU'LL THREATEN ME WITH – ACK!"_

Barely able to make sense in all of the commotion, Korra whipped around at the sound of Ikki's cry just in time to see the girl fall onto her backside, the older of the two girls covering her mouth as she giggled. She opened her mouth to call out a reprimanded (even though she knew they wouldn't listen to her because _they never did_) but Ikki kicked out with a gale of air, which swept the legs right out from underneath Jinora, and she joined her sister on the floor. Korra debated going over to the sisters to pull them apart before anything else could happen, but then she heard Meelo laughing.

Her stomach bottomed out.

"That can't be good," Korra mumbled to herself, pushing her fingers through her hair. Her blue gaze shifted from the girls, who were now using their bending to take their aggression out on each other, lips curled back in equally intimidating sneers, and Meelo, who was still laughing as he pattered around the house, and back again. Neither situation was dire, but both had the potential to lead to something disastrous. She was completely torn, knowing that if she abandoned one situation in lieu of the other, it would end horrifically.

Either way, this was Definitely Not Good.

She felt sick, but mostly she felt like crying. Big, ugly, body-wracking sobs.

And she almost did, but then she heard Meelo cry out in panic, which in turn made _her_ suck down an embarrassingly loud gasp of air and tear down the hall after him, worrying biting at her stomach.

Korra would much rather clean up the wreck the sisters left behind for hours on end than explain to Tenzin why yet another one of his precious relics was ruined. It had been difficult and awkward enough the first three times, and she doubted it'd be any better after a fourth.

Besides, the girls could use a bit of practice anyway, even if it meant the living area would be a complete and utter mess. She could handle that.

Or at least she hoped she could.

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><p>"Give it back, Meelo."<p>

The boy crossed his arms over his chest, looking every bit the defiant little devil she knew him to be. "Why should I?"

She gnashed her teeth together, her vision turning red. As the Avatar, she wasn't supposed to use her bending unless the situation called for it. And while it was her own personal opinion that this moment called for it, she knew it didn't. Not really. On the flip side since she wasn't anywhere near mastering airbending, she was hardly a fully-realized Avatar…but no, he was only five years old – a demon in disguise, yes, but also just a child.

Still…

Pulling a deep breath through her nose, calling her nostrils to flare, she said, "Because I told you to."

"So?" he prompted, raising an eyebrow in challenge. "You don't listen to my papa when he tells you do things."

That was so painfully true that if she had any sense of decorum at all, she would have blushed. But she was too consumed by her irritation with the little pipsqueak in front of her, a gloating smile on his lips and an evil glimmer in his eyes. This kid knew _exactly_ what he was doing, and it made her blood boils.

"Yeah, well," she replied, mimicking his stance and folding her arms over her chest, cocking her left hip. "He's not my dad, is he?"

"And you aren't my mom, so I don't have to listen to you," countered the five year old, jutting out his chin triumphantly, all but rocking back on his heels in self-satisfaction.

Korra's mouth flopped open and shut, but eventually she settled on narrowing her eyes into a glare and putting her hands on her hips. As a child, she had always been intimidated by her superiors when they'd assumed the very same stance, so she hoped it would have the same effect on him.

"Meelo," she began, adopting what she thought was her most intimidating voice, "give it back. _Now._" It wasn't as impressive as the collective voice of all the Avatars, but she thought it did the job, for the boy in question snapped his mouth shut and pushed his lips into a pout.

The familiar tides of victory lapped at her feet, Korra allowed herself a small smile and a self-satisfied nod. "There," she said, dropping her hands from her hips. "Now just give the vase back to me and –"

"Never!" the boy all but screamed, rushing at her so quickly, it caught her off-guard. He barreled into her, shoving her knees with his left hand and ducking under her outstretched hands. She didn't fall over, but she stumbled into the wall upon which she banged her head. Before she could right herself, however, the boy had taken off down the hall, cackling at the top of his voice.

"Na na na na na!"

"Damn it, Meelo!" she cursed, pushing away from the wall and running after him, though her feet slipped on the rug and she nearly fell down again. Another much more colorful string of curses fell from her lips as she resumed her chase, lifting a hand to rub the bump on the back of her head as she went.

As she rounded the corner, Korra called out, "Spirits be damned, Meelo, I am going to kill y-" Digging her heels into the wood, she skidded to a spectacular halt at the sight of _him_. "-ou. Oh," she finished, licking her lips, not quite sure what to do with her. Her hand leapt to the back of her neck, massaging the knot of tension. "Hi."

He was dressed in his usual attire, though the vibrant burst of red that livened up his rather dreary wardrobe was missing, which made her frown. He looked distinctly out of place in the ornate living area, his dark clothes a shock against the brightly colored walls. It was easy to see that he was uncomfortable amongst the splendor; he shifted his weight from foot to foot, his gaze consuming each opulent detail with a hint of revulsion and an underlying jealousy. When his ocher eyes locked with hers, he offered a weird almost-but-not-quite half smile.

"Hi," he returned lightly, giving her appearance a minute inspection before his gaze swept over the room, taking in the state of it as well as the three children occupying it.

Jinora and Ikki were on opposite sides of the room, the space between them strewn with cushions, leafs of paper, and, if Korra wasn't mistaken, several broken plates. Both girls were crouched in defensive stances, a ball of air swirling madly in their respective hands. Their attention, however, was focused on the newcomer: Jinora looked awestruck whereas Ikki's head was cocked, her face a perfect mock-up of curiosity. Meelo was, for all intents and purposes, absolutely transfixed by the dark stranger, having stopped his frantic jumping on top of the table to gap open-mouthed at the tall boy.

"Whoa," he whispered reverently, blinking slowly. "Who are you?"

Korra rolled her eyes. Really? Even Meelo?

She could understand the reasoning behind the girls unabashed staring, but Meelo? It's not like he was _that _awesome. It's not like he was the Avatar or anything. She was way cooler than stupid Mako.

"I'm Mako," he introduced himself, the friendliness in his tone catching her by surprise. She didn't know he was capable of being personable, let alone friendly. Well, that wasn't e_ntirely_ true; he _had_ shown his nicer side after she'd taken a particularly nasty hit and almost broke her wrist, but that was one of those one-time things. "What's your name?"

"Meelo!" the boy squeaked, beaming up at the tall bender like he was the coolest thing to ever exist. "Your gloves are really cool!" In the entranceway of the hall, Korra pouted. His gloves were _not_ cool at all. They were lame. Her armbands were _way_ cooler.

"Thanks." A small smile touched the corner of his mouth. "Nice to meet you," Mako said, holding out his forearm for the little boy to grasp. Eagerly, Meelo surged forward, latching into Mako's arm and gripping tightly, his blue eyes alight with pride and awe. As the boy started asking him about his gloves and why he wears them because _they are so cool_, Mako surreptitiously eased the vase from his small hands, sending Korra a look over the top of the boy's head to come and take it.

Speechless, Korra tip-toed behind Meelo and held out her hand, taking the vase from him and cradling it to her chest. Silently, she prayed to the Spirits that there was nothing wrong with it, that Meelo hadn't done any noticeable damage to the invaluable relic. However, even if _she_ didn't notice anything off it didn't necessarily mean that Tenzin wouldn't. Tenzin noticed _everything_.

Their eyes met for the briefest of moments and Korra nodded her heads in thanks as she backed out of the room, tearing her gaze away from the curiously golden depths and focusing them on Meelo. Should he suddenly realize that she was in possession of the vase, she was prepared to make a run for it. As it turned out, her exercise in caution was entirely unnecessary as the tiny Airbender couldn't tear his eyes away from Mako, who had taken off one of his gloves and had handed it over to Meelo for him to inspect and try on.

Even Jinora and Ikki eased out of their defensive stances, the charm of the new mysterious stranger strong enough to put an end to their stand-off.

A frown toyed at the corners of her mouth, but Korra pushed it away, letting her annoyance at the situation overpower her wounded ego. She didn't even _like_ kids and yet it bothered her that they had taken to Mako so quickly. After all, what did he have that she didn't?

By the time she found a suitable hiding place for the vase and went back into the living area, Jinora was sitting on the floor next to Mako, a bunch of scrolls unrolled on the rug in front of them. She was pointing something out to him, her dark brown eyes wide and her thin lips moving fast as she explained something to him. Though there was a mark of confusion in his brow, Mako nodded along and pointed to a bit of text, which engaged Jinora in another long explanation that had her gesturing wildly with her hands.

It was strange, seeing him so candid with someone he hardly knew. She was used to him standing to the wayside, a disdainful look on his face as Bolin turned on the charm – usually for a girl. That was how it had played out when she was first introduced to the older of the two brothers; he gave her a quick once over, raised his eyebrow, and muttered a quick hello. He didn't offer a hand and when she tried to clap him on the shoulder as a way of thanking him for letting her join their team, Mako had dodged her hand, rolling his shoulder as he took a step away from her. So watching him interact with Jinora, the way he leaned over her shoulder and nudged her with his elbow when he laughed – it made her feel like she was seeing Mako for the very first time. It left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Korra knew she was being completely irrational, but she had been trying for _weeks_ to break through his cold exterior and get him to open up, to see the lighter side of him that Bolin claimed was there and worth the wait. She tried charming him with her wit, impressing him with her bending, and making him laugh, but nothing worked. The only reactions her attempts seemed to elicit were blank stares and arched brows, sometimes an occasional throwaway comment that buried itself under her skin and agitated her. After weeks with no progress, Korra gave up, abandoning all attempts at friendship and letting her true feelings reign – feelings of annoyance and disdain, which crackled and fizzled and clashed with Mako's, leading to many pointless arguments that turned to stony silences.

Jinora had only spent five minutes with him and she was already making more breakthroughs than she had made in as many months! It was infuriating, mostly because he always accused her of being exceedingly childish and here he was, catering to the whims of a nerdy Airbender and her siblings, who were currently shadowboxing on top of the table, each wearing one of Mako's fingerless gloves.

Even though she wanted to be irritated, she couldn't bring herself to feel that familiar wave of aggravation that she associated with Mako. Sure, Korra was frustrated that a ten year old had succeeded where she hadn't, but she wasn't a_ngry_. Not in the slightest.

In fact, she was relieved because for the first time all evening, the kids were calm and under control. Fake sparring on the top of a table and shouting about the constellations, yes, but settled down all the same.

Releasing a shaky sigh of relief, Korra collapsed onto the cushion in the far corner of the room. "Finally," she breathed, leaning her head back on the pillow and relishing the way the plush molded to her muscles.

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><p><strong>AN: **So that was part one! The next chapter will have more Makorra interaction, I promise. I love feedback, so if you'd be so kind to leave me some, I would love you forever.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Sorry it took so long to update this. I had this part all written out, but then I decided to go in a different direction, which is probably a good thing because instead of a two-shot, this is now a multi-chaptered fic. I have no idea how many chapters it's going to end up being, but I'm thinking that it'll be no more than five. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and thank you to everyone who reviewed!

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><p>"And then the dragon r<em>oooooooooo<em>ared at me and you know what I did, Mako?" Meelo asked, whirling around on his place atop the low table, where he had been acting out his entire story, to look at the Firebender in question. "Do you _know _what I _did_?" Meelo's thick eyebrows raised and lowered and dipped as he spoke, almost as enthusiastic as the tiny Airbender speaking.

Repressing the amused smile that threatened to sweep across his lips, Mako shook his head and lifted his left shoulder in a short shrug. "I have no idea what you did. Why don't you tell me?"

"Okay!" the boy exclaimed, grabbing the hem of his tunic so the sides flared out like the wings of the dragons he'd been babbling about nonsensically for the last ten minutes. Well, he hadn't been talking about_ just_ dragons. In fact, the dragons didn't enter until about a minute ago. Before that, Meelo had been talking about all sorts of things, starting from the first time he met his Gran Gran to the last time he ate noodles and one got stuck up his nose. At the beginning, Mako tried to follow Meelo's story, doing his best not to furrow his brow as he tried to connect elderly women to noodles, but he was so lost now that all he could do was smile and nod along, which seemed to be enough encouragement for the boy to (hopefully) conclude his epic tale.

Roaring loudly as he spun in a wide circle, nearly tripping over his feet in the process, Meelo continued, "Then I said – I said –" he stopped spinning quite abruptly to plant his feet firmly on the tabletop, his balled fists going to his hips as he puffed out his chest. The deep voice he adopted was ridiculous enough that Mako had to slap a hand to his mouth so he wouldn't burst out laughing, not wanting to embarrass or offend the kid. At any rate, Meelo didn't appear to notice, too caught up in his own storytelling to observe his audience's reaction. "I said: 'No, evil dragons! You are not welcome here! Be gone!' And then they weren't in my closet anymore!"

"There were dragons in your closet?"

Meelo pinned Mako with a look that suggested he was, in fact, every bit the idiot Korra labeled him as on a daily basis. "Of _course_ there were dragons in my closet!" he said with a droll roll of his eyes. Honestly, this kid was too much. From his overwhelming amount of energy to his insatiable need to bite _everything_, Mako wondered how Pema handled him, let alone her two daughters, who were being curiously quiet.

It was suspicious.

"Oh," Mako said, with a short nod of his head. "Right. I forgot about that."

Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, Meelo hopped towards the end of the table, balancing precariously on the edge as he held his arms out to his sides. "I mean," he continued, the tip of his pink tongue peeking out of the corner of his mouth as he concentrated on keeping his balance, "where else would they be? Don't you know anything about dragons?"

"Clearly not as much as you do," contested Mako, mirth coloring his words and staining his cheeks a faint pink. "You must be a dragon expert."

Not breaking his concentration, Meelo shrugged. "I know a thing or two."

Mako snorted, biting on the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing too loudly. He didn't want to wake up Korra, who was dozing on the plush cushion in the corner. She needed this nap more than she would ever admit to him – or anyone else for that matter. He knew how hard she pushed herself at training that morning; why she thought she could handle three rambunctious kids on her own after such a grueling day was beyond him. But that was Korra for you.

"It sounds like it," Mako agreed, leaning back and bracing himself with his hands. "I had no idea that dragons lived in closets."

"And underneath the bed, too!"

"Dragons don't live underneath your bed, Meelo," Jinora cut in, adjusting the stack of scrolls in her arms so that she could be seen as well as heard. "Nor can they live in your closet. They're too big. It's illogical, not to mention impossible."

"Oh," was all Meelo said, his small shoulders sagging and lips dropping into a frown. He was truly the embodiment of pathetic.

Jinora offered an apologetic smile as though as she was sorry for effectively bursting her little brother's bubble before teetering towards the shelf in the far corner, presumably to put the scrolls back into their proper place.

After showing Mako all of her star charts, he had convinced Jinora to clean up the mess that her fight with Ikki had caused, with promises of treats and maybe a game of hide and seek if she did a good job. Mako had to admit, he was surprised by how quickly she accepted his terms, used to the way Bolin would milk every situation for all it was worth. There was no hesitation, no resistant, just a bright smile, a deep nod, and an excited shout of, "Okay!" The most surprising thing, however, was the fact that Ikki abandoned her play-boxing with her younger brother (she still wore his glove) to assist her sister, all but tripping as she leapt off the table and ran to help Jinora. It was obvious that she wanted in on the spoils, but still, he felt oddly proud.

"Yeah," agreed Ikki, bending a wad of paper into the waste basket. Judging by the look of shock on Jinora's face, this was a rare occurrence, the sisters agreeing upon something. She planted a hand on her hip, which she then cocked to the side, as she said, in a rather matter-of-factly manner, "Dragons are astinked anyway."

"Extinct," corrected Mako lightly, smiling at the girl, who grinned a toothy grin right back at him. "And even if they are," he continued, redirecting his gaze to Meelo, who lifted his head hopefully. "That doesn't mean there wasn't one in his closet."

Knitting her brows together, Ikki said, "That doesn't make sense."

"No," Jinora rejoined, blinking owlishly at Mako. She folded her arms over her chest. "It doesn't. How can there be a dragon in his closet – or under his bed, for that matter – if they're extinct?"

Pursing his lips, Mako tried to think of the most logical way out of this situation. He was quick on his feet; growing up on the streets, in a world that was very much polar dog eat polar dog, he had to be. He was used to talking his way out of sticky situations and if that didn't work, then resorting to a rare burst of violence. Not that he would use violence against the kids – the mere thought was absolutely preposterous. His mouth twitched into a slight frown as he thought.

"Well," he said slowly, rolling the word on his tongue as he tried (and failed) to stall. He blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Maybe they're not extinct after all."

"But you just said –"

He waved a dismissive hand at Ikki, her mouth snapping shut. "What if they've been in hiding all these years, right under our noses?" Mako proposed, slowly moving his gaze from one child to the next. Jinora's expression was doubtful, there was a curiosity blazing in Ikki's eyes, and Meelo's mouth fell open in awe.

"You really think so?" breathed Meelo.

Mako shrugged. "Could be. For all we know, they're just waiting for a worthy adversary." He pinned the boy with a pointed look.

The kid pointed to himself, looking absolutely thunderstruck by the thought. "You mean me?"

"Who else?"

Meelo was silent for a prolonged moment – so long, in fact, that Mako was beginning to worry about the kid, who hadn't shut up since he had waltzed through the door unannounced. He shifted so that he was sitting up straight and started to reach forward, but Meelo was far faster than he was.

Resuming his imitation of a dragon, he stretched the fabric of his tunic so tightly that one wrong move would surely cause a tear. Another roar tore through his throat as he made to jump off the table, presumably onto the pile of cushions just to the right of Mako. The distance was too great and it was very likely that Meelo would miss, thus injuring himself. Tossing a quick glance at the slumped and slumbering Korra, Mako knew that was the very last thing, specifically the Avatar, needed. So before the boy could launch himself headfirst into an injury, Mako pushed himself to his knees and caught the little Airbender in the scoop of his arms in the nick of time.

"Whoa, buddy," said Mako, struggling to get a decent hold on the wriggling kid. "Be careful."

"I'm a dragon, I don't need to be careful," Meelo responded before twisting in Mako's arms and sinking his teeth into Mako's shoulder.

"OUCH!"

Taking advantage of Mako's shock, Meelo wiggled out of Mako's grasp, fell to the floor, and quick as a whip, picked himself back up, still holding onto the flaps of his tunic. Pushing himself onto his tip toes, he chomped his teeth as he leaned towards Mako. "Roar!" he shouted, going in for another attack, but Mako stopped him just in time.

"Oh, no you don't," he said, grabbing the boy around the middle and pulling him towards his chest. If Meelo had struggled before, it was nothing compared to how much he started flailing when Mako began tickling him.

"No, no! Make it stop!" Meelo exclaimed through his peals of loud laughter. "Ikki! 'Nora! _Help!_"

The sisters, who seemed indifferent to their brother getting tickled (after all, he did make a complete mess the other day and blamed it entirely on them), whipped their heads in Meelo's direction at the sound of his plea. Jinora's features slipped into a mask of concern whereas Ikki took one look at the situation, barked out a laugh, and ran over to join the fun. There was_ no_ way she was missing this!

"Ikki!" Jinora said, reaching out to stop her sister as she streaked past, but her fingers barely grazed the edge of the fabric. Swallowing the rest of her sentence, Jinora shifted her position, wincing as Ikki jumped onto the unsuspecting Mako's back, her arms winding around his neck and most likely crushing his windpipe. She supposed that she should put a stop to it – not because her younger brother was being viciously tickled by Korra's handsome friend, but because there was a very good chance that something might break, and she knew how angry her parents got when something broke, especially if it was an Airbending artifact.

What other logical explanation was there for an intelligent girl such as herself to abandon her task, unceremoniously dropping the scrolls in her arms to the floor, and rushing headlong towards all of the action?

Mako had only just recovered from Ikki's sneak attack when, in the corner of his eye, he saw Jinora running at full speed towards them. A low groan threatened to escape him, but then Ikki smacked him across the head with a cushion and Meelo jumped at him, and he fell backwards. Something jabbed him in his lower back, right over a bruise that hadn't fully healed, but before Mako could twist and wrench it out from underneath him, Ikki hit him with the pillow again, Meelo plopped down so hard on his stomach it knocked the wind out of him.

"Surrender!" Ikki demanded, raising the pillow above her head in what he assumed was a threatening manner. And, in his current position, he supposed it was threatening as he had no way to protect himself.

Not that it mattered, of course.

He locked eyes with the girl and grinned. "Never."

Her dark eyes sparking gleefully, Ikki was about to bring the pillow down when Jinora barreled into her, knocking her off balance; their arms pin-wheeled comically at their sides as they tried to regain their footing.

"Gosh, 'Nora," Ikki said, digging her elbow into her sister's ribs. "You ruin everything. Can't you see I was about to slay the dragon?"

Freezing his attempt to escape Meelo's pinching fingers, Mako furrowed his brow. "I'm a dragon?"

"Duh," all three of the children said in unison. The last time he had felt this stupid, Korra was doing a dance of victory in the sparring circle, her arms above her head as she sang tunelessly.

"Oh," said Mako, with a swift nod of his head. Grabbing Meelo around the waist, he set the small boy on the ground beside him and pushed himself to his feet. "So, if I'm a dragon," he began, reaching to feel the newly formed bruise on his lower back. He tried not to wince at the jolt of pain. "That means I'm really fast, can breathe fire, and eat lots and lots of tasty meals, right?"

"Right."

"Why do you ask?" Jinora questioned, a note of uncertainty marring her usually soft tone.

"No reason," he answered conversationally, dropping his hand away from his waist. His dark amber gaze swept over each of the children, a wry smile quirking his mouth into an almost-smile. "I'm just feeling really _hungry!_" Mako exclaimed, lunging towards Ikki, who jumped and stumbled backwards into her sister, who caught her before she could fall.

"He's going to eat us!" cried Meelo, his eyes alight with delight. He probably would have clapped his hands if they weren't clutching his own face.

"Run!" screamed Jinora, somehow simultaneously pushing her sister to her feet and grabbing her little brother's hand. Tugging the boy after her, they took off down the hall, a stampede of pattering feet and shrieks of delight. Shrieks, Mako realized as he prepared himself for the chase, which would surely wake up the babysitter, but somehow, he thought she wouldn't mind.

At least, he _hoped_ she wouldn't. A sleepy, grumpy Korra was worse than just a grumpy or a sleepy Korra. Nothing he couldn't handle, mind, but still, he'd rather avoid it if he could.

However, all thoughts of unpleasantries were dispelled when he heard Meelo say, "I've always wanted to be eated by a dragon!" Smiling, he shook his head and took off after them, roaring as any self-respecting dragon in pursuit of three children would.

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><p><strong>AN: **A bit shorter than the last chapter, I know, but hopefully this was sufficient! Feedback is always appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** So this took me a little longer than I expected to update, but that's because I've been working on several different Makorra pieces at once. Seriously, I cannot get them out of my head. They are actually perfect and, fingers crossed, CANON! Anyway, this story is now an AU as we've already seen the clip in which Jinora and Ikki meet Mako, but all in all I think I did a pretty good job. Enjoy!

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><p>Distantly, Korra was aware that there were things happening in the background. Loud things, mostly screaming and the occasional curse from the annoying Firebender who she couldn't seem to shake, no matter what she did, but she was able to ignore these things by snuggling deeper into the contours of the plush chair. A sigh escaped her as she readjusted her arms over her chest, content to let Mako run himself into exhaustion while she caught up on her shut eye, which was severely lacking. Though she would never admit it to the man, she was beginning to think that Tenzin was right in saying that she'd bitten off more than she could chew.<p>

She would find a way to manage it all. Training times could be changed, and she was a hell of a bargainer. Someway, it would work out. Korra would work it out; she always did, even if the pieces of the puzzle fell into place by accident.

Just as the strange sense of vertigo that she associated with sleep started to wash over her, there was a loud bang that sounded distinctly like something heavy being knocked over followed by shrill screams and the scampering of footsteps. Mako shouted something unintelligible. The childrens' responding laughter echoed through the house as did their frantic footsteps against the wooden floorboards. An amused smile pulled at Korra's lips as she visualized his flushed cheeks and his dark eyes flashing angrily in her mind's eye. She could even imagine the twitch in his jaw as he clenched his teeth. Rolling her shoulders into the curve of the chair, Korra emitted a soft moan at the sheer feeling of comfort settled over-

Something hard collided with her legs, which were stretched out in front of her. She tried to pull them back, but there were limbs tangled with her own and before she quite understood what was happening, all of the air was forced from her lungs as something incredibly heavy landed on top of her.

"_Ouf!"_ she breathed just as Mako exclaimed, "Shit!" His breath stirred the loose strands of hair near her ears and played against the sensitive skin of her neck, hot and entirely too close. Their faces might not have been inches apart, but she was close enough to see the flecks of green in his dark amber irises and how his pupils dilated when he made eye contact with her.

They stared at one another, scarcely breathing, for a prolonged moment.

"Sorry!" they shouted in unison, both spurring into action at precisely the same moment. Naturally, this only served to further complicate things. Korra pushed against him while he pulled back, her sleeve catching one of the buttons on his jacket and the strap of his boot snagging on the fringe of her fur wrap. Between that and her fingers gripping the front of his tunic and his hands on the curve of her shoulders, it was nigh impossible to get away from one another.

It was also why Mako lost his balance, not expecting her to grab his shirt and force him away from her, and collapsed on top of her.

Again.

A grunt escaped her as his elbow dug into the pit of her stomach and her knee landed a blow on his thigh, just shy of a highly sensitive area. Mako sucked a hiss in through his teeth as he propped himself up on his hands. Korra tried to roll out from underneath him, but it was no used. She was trapped by his arms, which he had situated on either side of her head to support himself. Tilting her head back, she smiled tightly.

"Comfortable?"

"Not really," he answered, chuckling gently. "I'd move, but I don't want you to tear your tunic." He nodded towards her top, which had ridden up her stomach, exposing a patch of dark skin and the defined planes of her abdomen, and was caught on his jacket button.

Heat poured out onto Korra's cheeks as she shifted, doing her best to pull at her top without tearing either of their clothes. A soft gasp fell from Mako's lips at the sudden motion. If she hadn't felt his breath against her cheek, she would've thought it was her mind playing a trick on her, but then she looked back up at him and took in his wide eyes and tiny pupils. Her blush intensified until it took over her entire body, but she ceased her wiggling. Hell, she ceased breathing, but she couldn't take her eyes off him, even when he averted his gaze, cursing under his breath.

Korra cleared her throat. "If you could just – um…" she trailed off, unsure of how to word her sentence without sounding like a total pervert. Not that this could get any more awkward than it already was, but she wasn't going to take her chances.

Closing his eyes, Mako turned his face away from hers as he spoke, too embarrassed by the blush coloring his cheeks. "I could try to - "

"Yeah, and I'll –"

"Good plan," finished Mako, his words catching on a hitch as her hands went to work on the confusing tangle that kept her attached to him. As much as she tried avoiding skin to fabric contact, her knuckles still brushed against his stomach as her fingers worked at the complex knot; the heat of his skin still seeped through the fabric of his shirt. Every time she inadvertently touched him, he inhaled, not a sharp gasping breath, but enough that she could feel the faint ripple of muscles; enough to show her that she did, in fact, have _that_ sort of effect on him, even though he insisted she didn't.

"O-okay," Korra said, her voice shaking almost as much as her hands were. "I think I've got it."

"Good," breathed Mako, doing his best to keep his body from sagging with relief. The very last thing he needed was to be completely flushed against her. As if his…discomfort with the situation wasn't already evident, it certainly would be if their bodies touched again.

"There's just one more –"

"OH MY SPIRITS, GUYS, HE'S EATING KORRA!" screamed Meelo at the top of his voice, effectively scaring the living daylights out of both of the benders. Korra jumped, this time kneeing him right in the family jewels. Mako gave a pained shout, all but leaping off her to stagger into the wall, doubling over in pain.

"Holy shit, are you okay?" she asked, scrambling to her feet. She didn't approach him, though. Oh no, she kept her distance, shuffling her weight from foot to foot as she watched him.

Mako's eyes were screwed shut and his lips were pressed into such a thin line, there were practically nonexistent, but he managed to give a short nod of his head.

"Holy shit," Meelo said, laughing loudly and stamping his feet on the floor. "Is he gonna die?"

Korra slapped her hand against her forehead. "No, Meelo, he's not going to die and you can't say that because that's a b-"

"No, I think he's dying, Korra. Look at him. He's dying. " Meelo poked Mako on the arm. He didn't respond. "See," he said, turning his wide eyes to Korra. "He's a goner. Did you slay the dragon, Korra? Did you?"

"No, I didn't –"

"HOLY SHIT, GUYS," Meelo shouted, wheeling around to face the hallway from whence he came. "Korra slayed the dragon!"

"Meelo, _please _stop saying that," begged Korra, wanting nothing more than to break down and cry. In the background, she could hear Ikki and Jinora making their way towards them. Her dread increased, becoming a leaden weight in her stomach. "Your parents are going to kill me if they come home and you're saying that."

The boy rocked back on his heels to get a better look at the Avatar. His thick, dark eyebrows wrinkled as his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why would they kill you, Korra? Is it because it's a –" he lowered his voice dramatically, a wicked glimmer in his eyes "-bad word?"

"Yes, it's a bad word. Very bad. A terrible word, even." She tossed a desperate look over her shoulder at Mako. "Back me up here, will you?" she said out of the corner of her mouth.

He grimaced at her, apparently still very bitter with her for something that was hardly her fault."It's the worst word imaginable," Mako deadpanned, still using the wall to support himself. In all fairness, she _had_ kneed him very hard indeed. She made a mental note to apologize for it later.

"And you could get in a lot of trouble if you said it again."

Meelo frowned. "But you said it."

"Yeah," Korra admitted, already dreading where this was going. She had the distinct feeling that she was about to be blackmailed by a five year old. "I did, and I'm going to get in lots of trouble."

"And Mako," Meelo continued, throwing an arm out to point at the bender in question. "He said it too. Is he going to get in trouble too?"

"No, I don't think so," Mako said, sending Korra a pointed look.

"Yeah," she agreed swiftly. "He's been punished enough as it is."

The furrow in Meelo's brow deepened as the cogs in his head turned. "So if he said a bad word and isn't going to get in trouble….that means I don't have to get in trouble, right?"

"Only if you promise not to say it again."

"But I'll only get in trouble if Mommy and Daddy find out," Meelo continued, completely ignoring Korra. His eyes were gleaming – and not in a cute way, either. "And the only way Mommy and Daddy will find out is if you tattle on me, Korra." He puts his hands on his hips and glared up at his babysitter. "You're not going to tell on me, are you?"

Korra folded her arms over her chest. "I won't tell if you stop saying it."

"Mommy will get mad at you for teaching it to me."

"How will she know I taught it to you?"

Meelo shrugged. "I'll tell her."

"You wouldn't."

He tilted his chin defiantly. "I won't if you give me what I want."

And there it was – the bribe she had been waiting for. Though it wasn't necessarily a bribe as he held all of the cards in his hands. While Korra doubted she would get in trouble with Pema and Tenzin, she knew they would be disappointed, and that was even worse. After all of the nice things they had done for her, the least she could do is set a good example for their kids – even if her example was hardly one Tenzin would want any of his children to follow.

Korra pinched her brow, holding back a sigh. Her teeth gnashed together. "What do you want?"

"Ice cream!" Meelo trilled just as Ikki and Jinora rounded the corner.

Ikki perked up immediately. "Did someone say ice cream?"

"Are we getting ice cream?" Jinora asked hopefully, all but bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Their stares were too intense. Turning away from them, Korra looked at the only other person in the room. Mako was standing on his own now, though there was a distinct frown marring his brow, even more distinct than his usual frown. The tightness around his mouth didn't disappear, not even when Korra offered an apologetic smile along with her look of desperation. He could see the question burning in her eyes and despite his every instinct telling him to say no, to get out while he could, Mako sighed.

"Yeah," Mako sighed, carding his fingers through his hair. "We're getting ice cream."

Nodding her thanks, Korra turned back to the kids, who were waving their arms over their heads and dancing in a circle. "Go get your shoes on."

"I'll go get my gilder!" Ikki exclaimed, preparing to take off down the hall when Korra stopped her.

"No, no gilders. We're walking."

"But how are we going to get there? We can't walk across water."

Mako shared a look with Korra. There was hesitation in her expression, which wasn't unusual so much as it was unnatural. He lifted his shoulder in a shrug; he'd already committed himself to yet another adventure. Besides, she would need all of the help she could get. "We'll take the ferry."

Giving little shouts of happiness, Ikki and Jinora made for their respective rooms to get ready for the evening out. Meelo, on the other hand, remained firmly in place. "Not Oogie?"

"No, not Oogie," Korra said, placing her hands on Meelo's shoulders and giving him a slight push down the hall. "I can hardly air bend, much less point a sky bison in the right direction and make it fly. Besides," she added, giving one final push. "The ferry's fun."

Though Meelo scoffed, he retreated down the hall all the same.

Refolding her arms over her chest, Korra watched the wry little Airbender to make sure he went where he was told before sighing. She screwed up her face as she said, "I've just made a really big mistake, haven't I?"

Unable to help himself, Mako laughed, mostly at the tone of her voice and maybe a little at her resulting whine. "Probably," he replied.

"At least I've got you." She elbowed him lightly on the arm.

He elbowed her back. "At least you've got me," he agreed, glancing over at her profile and smiling slightly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Did I make up for the lack of Makorra in the last chapter? Did I? I hope so. I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoyed it too. As always, feedback is appreciated.


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